Taste Of Things To Come, Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 2007, photo © 2008 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.
moon in a dewdrop
gratitude to ybonesy
deep bows to the spring
An ancient buddha said:
For the time being stand on top of the highest peak.
For the time being proceed along the bottom of the deepest ocean.
For the time being three heads and eight arms.
For the time being an eight- or sixteen-foot body.
For the time being a staff or whisk.
For the time being a pillar or lantern.
For the time being the sons of Zhang and Li.
For the time being the earth and sky.-Dōgen, Uji: The Time-Being, from The Moon in a Dewdrop, written in 1240 at Kosho Horin Monastery
-posted on red Ravine, Wednesday, March 12th, 2008
-related to posts: haiku (one-a-day)
drip drip drip dripping
sun’s arrival, warms the air
icicles collapse
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8)
This was lovely to wake up to this morning, QM. Deep bows to you and to Spring and to your haiku and photo and to “Moon in a Dewdrop.”
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barbara, great haiku. That’s exactly what’s happening in our neck of the woods. So much dripping, icicles fall into nothingness. And so much more light. I love it.
ybonesy, it’s a new day. Happy Dewdrops. 8) And my gratitude extends out to all. Thanks for supporting us!
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I was a bit shocked when I saw the beautiful zen poetry you quoted, For the Time Being, written in 1240.
I just posted a poem on my blog ( http://chickenlil.blogspot.com ) last week (March 2), with that exact title! I wrote it a few years ago and just decided to post it, now that the worst of all of that is over. My son is doing well after ten years of craziness, and my dad is gone to the other side. I am frequently reminded that only time heals. It is the purpose of time to heal. 1240 or 2008 – the same.
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Linda, I just went and read your poem on chickenlil’. Since I can’t comment there (unless I finagle my Google/Blogger account) I’ll say here that the poem brought tears to my eyes. There is such a sense of sad acceptance to it, and yet hope, the latter coming from knowing that that story, those events, really were only for the time being. A great lesson of impermanence.
And yes, quite the synchronous thing — QM posting the poem she did here.
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Linda, thank you for sharing your poem, and I’m so happy things have moved on since then. ybonesy’s comment rings true for me, too. A sad acceptance and then the hope that everything changes and nothing is permanent. And that’s what’s at the heart of Dogen’s words as well. For the time being nothing – for the time being everything. Just this one moment.
I had not read the Dogen quote before last night. I wrote the haiku and then was searching for something a little more, something perhaps on Spring. The Time Being is what I found.
He also said this:
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BTW, Linda, that photograph of the Bosque and the comment on the cottonwood rope swing – loved that.
And while I’m here in the comments, I wanted to say how much gratitude I have for my family and extended family (and their support of my crazy life – including my writing/art life). And it’s my brother J.’s 50th birthday today (he’s married to a frequent red Ravine visitor, alittlediddy).
Happy Birthday, Lil’ Brother! I miss you!
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QM, I will certainly share your birthday wishes to J! He & I have battled some nasty flu bug for 3 weeks now, but are finally getting well again. Poor guy, turns 50 & needs early evening nap! We did however, go out for lunch today with K & it was quite nice to be out & about again!
Anyhow, I have still not decided on my avatar, but I’ll get there. Have had little time to decide yet & this week-end we will be heading to western PA for a short visit with my family.
I had been wanting to tell you how much I loved the photo & haiku in this post. Lilies are one of our favorite flowers & we have several varieties planted here. (correct me if I am wrong about it being a lily)
As for gratitude, we love you QM! & a big thanks to you, YB, my dear emailing red Ravine friend oliverowl & all the community of red Ravine for giving me somewhere to go daily & read the posts & comments. You have all been there for me while I recovered! Always…D
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diddy, so sorry you two are sick. Not the way to celebrate such a big birthday. Sending chicken soup energy. We had leftover homemade soup tonight and it was delicious.
Don’t worry about the avatar. Hey, you’ll decide when it comes to you. I just threw the instructions out there for any of our non-blog readers who might want to upload one. It can be fun to have a visual. No hurries, no worries.
I hope you have fun in western PA with your family this weekend. (How far of a drive is that?) Tell your parents hello. And thanks about the photo/haiku. I’ve been feeling much gratitude this week. I go through these phases where it’s stronger than other times. This week is one of those times. Full heart.
Yes, it’s a day lily! The tones in that orange just knock me out. I love them, too. They’re pretty common here in MN because they hold up well through our frigid winters. Make good handmade paper, too.
Feel better soon, you two!
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QM, thanks! And we are much better for sure or we wouldn’t make the trip. It’s about a 3 hour drive, so not too far, but we had made these plans long ago to attend a fund raising dinner for a local baseball team that my youngest brother coaches & his 16 year old son plays on. They sold 250 tickets this year. We attended last year & the food is wonderful & the beer & beverages are included in the cost. Some small games of chance(all done legally) & just a great community gathering of support. This event includes 2 teams & the coaches do a great job at putting this event together. Should be fun! We’ll head out there Saturday, attend the dinner, spend the night & drive back in the morning.
And you know orange is my favorite color & you captured the day lily in all it’s glory! D
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QM, your photo & haiku are absolute perfection! Breath-taking! Thank you for sharing the beauty of both, as well as the Zen poetry. I just finished an essay that I have been working on for weeks, now. That’s why I haven’t been blogging much.
D, I’m so sorry you & J have been battling a bug! Did you get to have the party last Sat., or was it postponed? Glad you’re better now…have a FUN weekend! I want to share what I heard on the radio, today.
On the coast of New Zealand, two whales beached themselves. Volunteers tried for over two hours to get them to go back into the water, to no avail. Exhausted, they sat on the beach…then watched in amazement, as a dolphin, (that interacted with human swimmers often at that beach,) came close to the whales, communicated verbally to them, and turned towards open water, with both whales following it!!
After the whales were gone, the dolphin returned to cheers and “pats on the head” from the not-so-intelligent, mere humans.
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We’ve had lots of melting going on here in Indiana as well. I generally spend a portion of my morning standing in my garage smoking, drinking coffee and listening to my neck of the woods wake up. It’s always cool to hear my surroundings beckoning for Springtime.
Peace!
Brian
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Cool haiku! I love the colour orange, too.
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diddy, so happy you are going to support a family effort. It sounds like a great way to connect. Have a great time this weekend!
oliverowl, what a great story about the communication between the dolphin and the whales. If only humans would listen that closely to each other. Hey, congrats for completing your essay. Are you submitting to print? I’d love to hear what subjects you like to write about.
LB, thanks. I’m a big orange fan, too. I’ve been pulled to various shades of that color since the mid-nineties. I pay attention to what colors I am drawn to. Sometimes they connect me to the chakras.
Brian, those few minutes of peace in the morning are so important to starting the day off on the right foot. My coffee and morning rituals, even though short in time, ground me in the day. I find dawn and dusk to be especially inviting – the transitions in light and temperature really wake me up.
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